With just nine days left in the legislative session, Mississippi senators and representatives on Friday announced a revival bill that would address K-12 education funding and a bill that would reform contribution rates within the state's retirement system. voted to move forward.
The Senate introduced a stay resolution Thursday that would allow the House to consider bills that had previously been rejected by legislative deadlines. The chamber also passed the resolution Friday morning, allowing members of each chamber to work together on bills they previously disagreed on.
Earlier this year, the House and Senate both killed and reinstated bills that would rewrite the Mississippi Affordable Education Program with a new funding formula for K-12 education. The Senate also reintroduced an effort to change how the Mississippi Public Employment Retirement System Board changes employer contribution rates to the state retirement system.
Here's what lawmakers did Friday and what they'll continue to work on in the coming days as the session ends.
House passes third attempt to rewrite K-12 education
House lawmakers passed House Bill 4130, known as the Mississippi Student Funding Formula (MSFF), taking a third swipe toward passage of a new funding model for K-12 education.
House Education Committee Chairman Rob Roberson (R-Starkville) told the Clarion Ledger that he and his colleagues have spent the past two weeks finalizing an agreement with Senate leadership on how to fund education.
“I hope third time is the charm,” Roberson said. “I think every time we go back and reconsider things, things get a little bit better and a little bit tougher in terms of what we're trying to achieve. I certainly don't want to cast any shadow on anything with this issue. No.'' Gentlemen in the Senate, they brought out some good points, and honestly, this bill will be better in the long run. ”
Previously, the House and Senate passed competing versions of education funding, with the Senate funding $2.94 billion through MAEP and the House passing the INSPIRE Act funding $3.01 billion and Increased weighting of district funding to needs and replaced MAEP's objective funding formula. Work with a panel of education experts to recommend future funding changes.
But neither side could agree to fund the other's proposal, and House members were even willing to withhold school funding until the Senate agreed to negotiate the House proposal.
Read more about education strugglesMississippi lawmakers have yet to agree on a way to fund K-12 education.House reintroduces own plan
The new bill includes an objective formula based on a base student cost of $6,695, which is $45 more per student than the INSPIRE Act. SBC is calculated from student enrollment and average teacher salary.
However, the bill takes into account funding shortfalls in districts with declining populations. To address this concern and give districts an opportunity to grow, no school district will receive less funding during the first three years of the new program than in the 2024 fiscal year, which ends June 30.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is likely to receive a warm welcome from both Senate leaders who helped draft HB 4130 and others.
“Our schools and students have accomplished a lot over the past few years,” Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said after the bill passed the House. “Congress has significantly increased teacher pay, addressed the teacher shortage, and increased funding for early education. The Senate's past efforts on school funding and the compromises it expects to pass this year The proposal is the next logical step.”
Senate passes PERS bill
Before the House takes up K-12 education funding, the Senate passed Senate Bill 3231, which changes employer contribution rates within PERS starting in July.
After more than an hour of debate, senators approved freezing the 2% increase in the employer contribution rate and raising it from 17.7% to 19.7%.
Instead, it will be raised by 0.5% every year for four years starting in July. The bill also requires the PERS Board to provide a contribution rate recommendation to Congress, accompanied by two financial reports supporting why the increase is necessary. Congress will then vote on the rate hike.
Sen. David Parker (R-Olive Branch), who also sponsored the bill, said before the vote that the funding gap that could be covered by rate hikes could be solved with a $100 million cash injection from Congress in the coming days. Ta.
There have been two other attempts to alter increased contributions to public employers and replace elected directors with state appointees. All of these bills died before the legislative deadline.
What's next?
Lawmakers have until Saturday night to submit an appropriations bill conference report detailing major funding measures, and general bills by Monday. Key bills yet to be decided include changes to the education system, state retirement programs and Medicaid expansion.
There are 9 days left in the 2024 session.
